MCCC awarded nearly $4 million to assist at-risk students

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Oct 7, 2017 at 6:00 PM

Monroe County Community College has been awarded nearly $4 million in grants from the federal government to help more area high school students transform into college students, Dr. Anthony Quinn, director of Upward Bound at MCCC, has announced.

Monroe County Community College has been awarded nearly $4 million in grants from the federal government to help more area high school students transform into college students, Dr. Anthony Quinn, director of Upward Bound at MCCC, has announced.The U.S. Department of Education renewed funding for existing Monroe County Community College Upward Bound programs at Airport High School in Carleton and Monroe High School in Monroe and added additional funding to establish an Upward Bound program at Jefferson High School in Monroe. The three grants total $3,869,873 and are effective through Aug. 31, 2022. The individual grant award amounts are $1,256,250 for the MHS renewal, $1,293,938 for the Airport renewal and $1,319,685 for the new program at Jefferson.The U.S. Department of Education’s Upward Bound program was established in 1965 to help American high school students attain a post-secondary education. Upward Bound serves high school students from low-income families and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of post-secondary education.MCCC’s Upward Bound program at MHS began in 2007. The program at Airport started in 2012. MCCC is one of only a few higher education institutions in the U.S. to have three or more Upward Bound grants and the only college in Michigan to hold that distinction, Quinn said.Upward Bound is one of seven Federal TRIO Programs, which are outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. “This is nearly $4 million flowing through MCCC into the local economy, but more importantly, impacting almost 200 students, their families, entire schools and communities,” said MCCC President Dr. Kojo A. Quartey“The competition for TRIO Upward Bound program grants is extremely competitive,” Quinn said. “We are very fortunate and grateful to have been awarded a third grant. We are pleased to continue offering this vital program to students enrolled at Airport and Monroe high schools and to be able to offer Jefferson High School this wonderful opportunity for their students and parents.”A total of 172 students will be served annually – 50 at MHS, 62 at Airport and 60 at Jefferson. According to Quinn, they will receive academic instruction and tutoring throughout the academic year and then participate in a six-week program on the MCCC campus during the summer. “The MCCC Upward Bound Program is one of the many ways Monroe County Community College is investing in our youth today,” Quinn said.Applications are currently being taken from freshman and sophomore students at Jefferson for participation in the new program. Interested students and parents should contact the school’s main office.

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